The present invention relates to a vacuum oven, to a system incorporating the same, and to a method of using the same, and more specifically to a vacuum oven that is portable and that can be moved while maintaining vacuum and to a modular system incorporating the same.
Chips and sensitive electronic components many times need to be worked on in an inert clean environment. To accomplish this, glove box/oven systems have been developed. Typically a glove box is a fully enclosed hermetically sealed box. An operator accesses the inside of the box through gloves attached to a side of the box.
An oven is attached to an end of the box. The interface between the oven and the box is also hermetically sealed to ensure an air tight seal. The oven can be opened at opposite ends. In this regard, the oven can be opened at its end attached to the glove box and at its opposite end.
Sensitive electronic equipment or items, as for example pacemakers, have to be sealed or welded in an inert environment. To accomplish this, the item is placed into the oven by opening the end of the oven not attached to the box. The oven is then closed and the item is heated under a predetermined vacuum i.e., it undergoes a vacuum bake cycle to get rid of moisture and impurities. Once the vacuum bake cycle is completed, the vacuum oven is back filled from the glove box and the end of the oven interfacing with the glove box is opened. The item is then moved into the glove box where the operator can work on it, as for example weld it.
The problem with current glove box/oven systems is that while the item is undergoing a vacuum bake cycle, other items cannot be brought into the glove box for processing. As such, use of the glove box is dependent on whether or not the oven is being used. Consequently, in a manufacturing setting, multiple glove box/oven systems are required to increase productivity. As a result, the manufacturing costs of the products processed through such glove box/oven systems are increased.
As such, an oven and a system are required that will allow the vacuum bake of items in locations away from the glove box or other clean air space and which can then be transported while maintaining vacuum into the glove box. In this regard, multiple items may be baked in one or more ovens and can be operated on using a single glove box or a single clean air space.